Firmware update WDTV Live [ Edited ]

[etech]

Hi everyone,

I have been honestly scared to update the firmware on my WDTV Live (not Live Plus) after hearing all the horror stories about units bricking. I still have 1.01.00 version firmware but now I cannot watch any Youtube videos. Should I update to be able to watch Youtube and what version should I update to  ? What do I need to watch out for to avoid killing the unit and is the latest firmware safe to update ? Which firmware should I update to ? Would it brick the unit ?

thanks

[PixelPower]

Get the latest official release - 1.02.21 - from here:

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdfwdtv_live

Update using a USB drive.  Follow the instructions.  Don't worry about bricking your unit, just be patient and give it plenty of time to complete the update.  

Bricking only happened with the 1.01.12 firmware last year.  Since then, it's now more likely user error / corrupted downloads.

You could try the 1.03.38 Beta release for additional features (Mediafly, DVD menus) but they should be coming in an official release sometime soon (we hope).

And welcome to the forum!

[etech]

Thanks PixelPower. I will start with the official release. Do Youtube videos work still ? I read somewhere  they are not working anymore on WD but didnt dig this forum yet.

[PixelPower]

Sorry for the late reply!  

I tend to use my Live Plus mostly these days and finally got around to swapping the Live back in to test.

As far as I know, the latest official firmware has no issues with YouTube.

My Live is running the latest Beta (1.03.38) and that certainly has no issues with YouTube (just tested it out!). 

Not 100% sure but I think firmwares prior to the latest official firmware didn't respect YouTube's No Syndication flag, so content that wasn't permitted on TV enabled devices would still display, and YouTube eventually blocked Live units with older firmwares.  That may have caused some rumours that YouTube wasn't working.

Also, the No Syndication option is used quite frequently now, resulting in a frustrating amount of content that won't play.  Doesn't make it any less annoying but that's a YouTube limitation, not specific to WD players.

[PleaseRegister]

Please Please Please where in the Good Lord's name does the "Firmware  Upgrade Icon" live?  I've been through all the settings and cann ot locate it.

And yes there is a USB plugged in with 1_03_01  .bin and .ver files on it  - the only files on the drive.

[TonyPh12345]

The problem is, you downloaded the wrong firmware.   

As was given a few posts up, Firmware for the Live is here:

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdfwdtv_live

[richUK]

---

PleaseRegister wrote:

Please Please Please where in the Good Lord's name does the "Firmware  Upgrade Icon" live?  I've been through all the settings and cann ot locate it.

And yes there is a USB plugged in with 1_03_01  .bin and .ver files on it  - the only files on the drive.

---

Further to Tony's reply. If there is any updated firmware that the WDTV detects then the Icon appears. In short there is no icon if there is no 'new' firmware.

[etech]

I updated the firmware to 1.02.21 and it updated fine. Youtube works too !!

[etech]

apparently been having sounds / skip issues with some video files. After a few minutes audio disappears and the skip when fast forwarding does not work also with this firmware. Didnt try too many video formats but with what I had I see issues. Does any of this is fixed in beta firmware ?

[Xtreme]

No offence PixelPower but you are using the wrong word!

It's not official against beta.

All the releases WD puts out via their website (product pages, or via forum) are OFFICIAL!!

Unofficial ones are the B-RAD for example that are not made by Western Digital.

You should use Stable (released for wide public) vs Unstable (usually alphas and betas are unstable).

When the firmware is stable WD usually releases it as final version (Stable version). Final/Stable versions goes to public.